Give Me a Chance
by xxEmilyy
Summary: Violet is a new student at Westfield High School. Her father, Ben, is the school's new track coach. Violet befriends Tate & Cooper, both eager to have Violet. What will Violet's ultimate decision be? A/N: Cooper doesn't have much of a POV because the story is more about Tate & Violet.
1. Violet

Reminder: I **DO NOT** own the characters of _Violet _and _Tate_. All characters and settings belong to FX as well as Ryan Murphy & Brad Falchuk. This is merely a fanfic for fans of the show and these two characters.

* * *

_**Violet's POV**_

I woke up to my dad's fist pounding on my bedroom door. I couldn't believe it was morning already. I felt like I had only slept for ten minutes, if that. I slowly lifted my head to look at my alarm clock, six o'clock.

I got up and grabbed my clothes, took my time putting them on and carried on to my bathroom routine. I looked in the mirror and brushed through my hair. After, I grabbed my toothbrush and brushed my teeth as good as I could. I trudged back to my bedroom and grabbed my bag and made my way downstairs where my dad had been impatiently waiting for me by the front door. "It's about time." He muttered and I just ignored him. My mom came out of the living room to kiss me good luck on my first day at Westfield High School. My mom threw my dad an awkward kiss on the cheek and walked back to the living room. My parents' marriage was on the rocks because she caught him cheating on her with a female track student he was coaching. And before that, my mom had a brutal miscarriage towards the eighth month of the pregnancy. She was devastated by it all while my dad decided to hook up with a high school athlete. Pathetic. So my dad thought that by moving us across the country from Boston to Los Angeles, we could make a fresh start. But I knew that what he was trying to do was get my mother to forgive him so he doesn't have to live with the guilt. He was more or less trying to buy her forgiveness.

My dad opened the door and I walked out ahead of him and headed towards the car. He followed in behind me. It was only seven and the sun was almost as high as it could go in the sky. It was a chilly morning, so I was glad I was wearing long sleeves today. I climbed into the passenger seat of my dad's car and sighed. He leaned over and patted my knee trying to make me feel better about the day. My dad took his hand back and put the car in drive, backed out of the driveway and we were off to school. Oh yeah, my dad is Westfield's new track coach. Fun, right? I wasn't looking forward to it because now everyone would know I was the coach's daughter. As if showing up with a parent wasn't bad enough.

* * *

I watched as we passed a few residential areas and saw all the houses pass by in a blur. The next thing I knew, we were parked in the faculty parking lot. I undid my seatbelt and went open my door until I heard my dad call my name.

"Violet, I know this move has been hard on you, it has been for all of us. I just want you to know that I'm here if you need me. And don't let any of the kids here-" I cut him short.

"Dad, I'm fifteen years old. I got into a fight with a senior and kicked her ass last year. I'll be fine." My dad smiled at me and nodded. We got out of the car and shut the doors. My dad set the alarm and led me to the back of the school where there was a huge football field with a black gravel track formed around it. I looked around as I followed my dad to the football stands where there were a bunch of guys in track uniforms lounging around in boredom. When they all turned and saw my dad, they jumped to their feet. When I saw that the whole team was nothing but guys, I couldn't help but think: _what kind of sexist statement was this school trying to make? _My dad motioned me to go and sit down on the stands as he introduced himself.

"Good morning, my name is Ben Harmon, Coach Harmon to you." He pointed up at me and all the guys turned to look. Just what I needed, an introduction followed by a group of eyes staring at me like I was a freak. I knew I was different from everyone I knew, but that didn't seem to make a difference to me. "That there is my daughter, Violet." I waved and continued to look around the field. I heard a snicker come from one of the guys and I looked down to see a couple of them looking up at me and whispering things. Normally I could care less about what people thought of me, but it was always fun to screw around with them.

"Believe me dude, you are not much prettier yourself." Some of the guys looked at the boy I was talking to and started laughing.

* * *

Time passed by so slow this morning. I had to sit around and listen to my dad explain the team's schedule, routines and so on. When the warning bell sounded in the distance I jumped up and headed towards the school. As I was walking I heard someone jogging up behind me, probably someone trying catch up with their friends. The jogger slowed down and walked up beside me. I looked up to see a tall, blonde boy. Very cute if I must say so. He looked down and smiled at me, his eyes were such a dark brown they were almost black. When he smiled at me, I looked away and blushed. I'll admit, being five-five and walking next to him, I felt pretty tiny. I gave him a once over and guessed he was about five…eleven? I also noticed that his arms were chiselled muscular. His torso looked the same way, at least that's what I saw through his shirt. We walked another few feet in silence and then he stepped in my path, blocking me. "Hi, I'm Tate." He said holding his hand out to me. I looked up at him with a straight look. I figured that if he was going to be nice enough to introduce himself without making fun of me, I guess I could return the favour.

"Violet," I put my hand out to shake his. He smiled as we did. When we let go of each other's hands, he spread his arms around like a T.

"Welcome to Shitfield," he said jokingly. "I mean, Westfield." He dropped his arms back to his sides. I couldn't help but laugh. Wow, the first person I talk to happens to be someone who refines the names of his school like I do. I smiled and he returned it. He then looked over my head and dropped the smile a little bit. I turned to follow his attention and found my dad staring at us in disappointment. I waved and turned back around to face Tate. He looked back down at me. "Um, your dad…" he said lightly pointing to him.

I shook my head. "Just ignore him, he's harmless. But we do have this agreement where I don't date the guys he coaches." Tate smirked, but didn't make a reference to him not hitting on me or asking me out. It could have been his intention.

"But you can talk to them, right?" He asked. I nodded my head. "Good, 'cause you seem nice, wouldn't want to let that go to waste." I smiled.

"Well, I have class, so I'll…" I didn't give myself a chance to finish and walked around him to the school. I suddenly felt a brush against my arm and turned and ended up looking up into the sun. I cupped my hand over my eyes to see Tate standing behind me.

"Am I going to see you later?" He asked. He knew I had to get going, so he began bouncing in place as if in a rush. Without saying another word, I just nodded my head; he smiled and I continued to walk to the school.

* * *

When I got to my first period English Lit. class, I was only five minutes late and the teacher wasn't there yet. I looked around for an empty seat to sit in and found one in the middle of the classroom. When I sat down, it wasn't long before a girl came stomping up the isle and stopping right beside my desk. My head was slightly leaning down so I didn't get a look at the girl's face before she lashed at me. "Hey freak, you're sitting in my spot." I looked up to see a girl with a light fake tan, long brown hair, green eyes, and very made up. I snorted and ignored her. She slapped her hand down on the desk, making me jump a little. Jeez this is like kindergarten all over again, everyone was entitled to a certain coloured crayon, or which chair was yours. This girl must have only grown up physically. She leaned down to grab my attention.

"Hello? Did you not hear what I said?" She snapped again. I looked up to meet her gaze.

"I heard you," I said calmly. "I just don't see why it matters. There are other seats in here." She started hyperventilating in annoyance. I just continued to look up at her and see what she would do. This girl thought she could intimidate me, but nothing she did or said was going to make me think any different. Suddenly I felt my hair being pulled and being pulled up out of my seat.

"I said-" Before she could finish, someone cut her off. She turned around to see a tall boy, handsome, with brown hair that hung in waves just below his ears, and icy blue eyes. He looked about as tall as Tate. The girl turned to glare at him and he did the same to her.

"Cut it out, Leah." He warned her. "She's new, cut her some slack." Leah just snorted an "are you kidding me?" to him. He continued to glare at her until she gave up and walked towards the front and slammed down into her seat. My heart was still beating fast and I just looked up at the boy who spared me from whatever that crazy bitch was about to do to me. He looked down at me and smiled. He walked closer to me and stuck his hand out in between us. "I'm Cooper," he introduced himself. I shook his hand and continued to look up at him. "I'm sorry about Leah. She thinks that because she has money she's entitled to whatever she wants." I nodded in understanding, lowering myself to my seat. He moved around to one of the desks beside me and set his stuff down. He continued to smile at me and I couldn't help but smile back.

"Thanks." I mumbled and looked towards the front. I could still feel Cooper looking at me. It felt kind of weird, but I just played it off. I saw Tate walk in right then and saw me. When he did, he smiled and me and waved. I waved back and he sat down in his seat which was two desks over and one up towards the front.

"So," Cooper said clearing his throat. "I hear your Coach Harmon's untouchable princess." He said with a smirk on his face. I shook my head at the thought of being called a _princess_. I was far from it. I turned my head to look him in the eye with a serious look on my face.

"I am no princess, thank you." I said sternly. "I'm way too far from it." Cooper smiled and I turned my attention back to the front of the room as the teacher came in.

"Good morning everyone," the teacher started.

.


	2. Tate

_**Tate's POV**_

I sat and watched as Violet paid attention to the lesson. I couldn't figure out what we were doing because I was so focused on her. I could immediately tell that there was nothing fake about this girl, unlike the other trashed up Barbie's in this town. The guy she sat next to, Cooper, was a major player and everyone knew it. Violet seemed so fragile that I couldn't let that douche bag get too close to her. But I was at a major disadvantage because she's the coach's daughter and she doesn't date his students. _Damn it! _I thought to myself. It was strange because I've barely known the girl a day and I already feel a connection to her and I feel like I need to protect her.

"Mr. Langdon?" I heard a voice off in the distance, almost like an echo. "Mr. Langdon." The voice was closer this time. I slowly took my eyes off of Violet who never moved to see the teacher talking to…me. "Hello there," Ms. Belle said. "Welcome back Mr. Langdon. Would you like to carry on where Mr. Davis left off?" She was referring to _him_.

I shook my head. "No thanks." Just then, Violet looked up and met my eyes. She let a smirk cross her lips and I smiled. I was looking directly into her big brown eyes, which were so beautiful; they made my heart speed up a bit. I was never a fan of _Macbeth_, and Ms. Belle knew it, so she walked away and continued where _he _left off.

* * *

After English had ended, I watched Violet walk out of the room, Cooper followed her a couple of students behind. I got up quickly and followed them out, keeping my distance.

Cooper ended up walking Violet to her next class, which was also mine. Chemistry. He smiled a goodbye to her and I walked in behind her, giving that guy a dirty look. I followed Violet where she took a seat at a table which also happened to be mine. I sat down next to her and smiled to her as a greeting. "Hey." She smiled.

"Hey," I returned the smile. Then again I was always smiling when it came to Violet. There was something about this girl that seemed to change something in me or make me feel different in some way. "How was English?" I asked, trying to make conversation. I just loved hearing her voice.

"You're in the same class with me, shouldn't you know?" She asked with a smirk. I shrugged my shoulders.

"I guess. But I can't feel what you do." She nodded her head as she considered my words.

"Very true." She agreed. "I guess it was alright. I had an interesting morning with some class act bitch. Then Cooper stepped in and helped me." I cringed at the idea of another guy helping Violet but me. I felt that I was her protector and that I should be the one who looks after her if she needs anyone. I was about to say something else, but Mr. Walker came in and welcomed the class, so from now until lunch, our conversations were strictly about experiments.

* * *

When chemistry ended at lunch, I followed Violet back to her locker. When she was done exchanging her books, she closed her locker and headed towards the back door. I just stood there and watched her walk away with such grace, it amazed me. She amazed me. The way she dressed like she was from the nineties and didn't give a shit about other people's opinions might be part of what drew me to her.

She made it a few feet away from me and I guess she noticed I wasn't walking with her. I didn't want to crowd her, but it took a lot of strength to hold me back. She turned back and looked at me with confusion. "Aren't you coming?" She asked. I shrugged my shoulders and she fully turned around and folded her arms across her chest and just stood there. Her tiny frame made her attempt at impatience so cute. I smirked and finally walked over to her and we headed outside.

We walked to the stands beside the football field and just hung out. In the corner of my eye, I caught her digging into her bag and saw her pull out a pack of cigarettes. She pulled one out and offered one to me. "Oh, sorry." She apologized, forgetting that I was a runner. I carefully leaned over to pat my hand on her knee to let her know that it was okay. She held the cigarette between her fine pink lips as she dug through her bag for a lighter. She looked around for a few minutes until I reached into my pocket and pulled mine out. She looked over with a smirk. God, was her smirk the only thing that hung on her lips besides cigarettes?

"You carry around a lighter, but you don't smoke." She said as I sparked the lighter for her to light her smoke. I put the lighter back in my pocket and nodded.

We sat in silence for a moment before Violet decided to break it. She blew out the smoke she inhaled into her lungs. "So you like Nirvana." She said as an assumption. Another reason to like this girl, she knew good music.

"Yeah, I'm a big fan of Kurt Cobain. Some would call it an obsession." She laughed, making my heart race. She took another puff of her cigarette. Just the way the stick fit between her lips made her look gorgeous, not that she already wasn't, but damn. Something in me just wanted to lean in and kiss her right here and now, but I knew I shouldn't push it, especially with my coach's daughter. I also knew that if I could have her, I'd quit track. That way she wouldn't have to break the agreement she had with her dad.

"Violet!" A familiar voice pulled me from my thoughts and I turned my head to see Ben walking towards us. Violet swore under her breath.

"Hi, dad." She mumbled. When he got to us, he walked up a few steps until he was right beside Violet.

"What did I tell you about smoking?" He asked in a tone full of more disappointment then anger. Violet rolled her eyes, but Ben didn't catch it.

"That it's horribly bad for my health." She said in a sarcastic tone. Ben bent down beside Violet and held out his hand. Violet gave him a look of shock and then rolled her eyes. She reached into her bag and pulled out her pack of cigarettes and handed them to her dad.

Ben looked over at me. "Have you got any?" I shook my head. Seriously? I'm one of the best runners on this team and he's going to assume that I smoke? He looked back at Violet. "I don't want to catch you with anymore of these." He turned to walk back down the steps then stopped and looked back at her. "And you know the consequences of smoking on school grounds." Violet lazily nodded and her dad continued to walk away.

Soon after the warning bell went off and Violet and I got to our feet and headed to class. I had art and she had drama, which should be an easy class for her because she seems like nothing but drama, but not in the hit-and-run type of way.

I walked her to her class and she thanked me, smiled at me and headed inside. I walked up to my art class and dreaded the next two periods.

* * *

The end of the day finally came around and I rushed down to the locker room to get changed. Ben made it pretty clear that he doesn't appreciate tardiness and he'd make us pay for it. When I got into my uniform, I walked out to the track and saw a few of the other members there, but no coach. I assumed he was the one running late today, so I sat down on the grass and stretched my legs out in front of me and leaned back on my hands.

A few minutes passed by and Ben came walking out with Violet. Jesus, I knew he was an overprotective dad, but was he also her personal bodyguard too? When they approached us, Ben apologized for being late and told Violet to go and sit down on the stands. She did so without a word to me or her dad; she just sat there and watched her dad give instructions. It turns out that I was one of the first few runners up. As I got into position, I turned my head to look at Violet who was looking back at me. She waved and I smiled back. At that moment, I was going to win this race for her, regardless of the fact that it was practice. When I heard the whistle, I sprinted down the track until I crossed the next white line. I turned around and saw Violet clapping and smiling at me.

* * *

Practice was short today, so I jogged back to the locker room, changed and headed out to the parking lot where Violet promised she'd be waiting for me. When I got there, I saw her standing by what could have been her dad's car, talking to _him_. I slowly walked over towards them. As I got closer, Violet stopped mid-sentence and smiled at me in welcome. When I got close enough to her to almost brush my elbow with hers, I glared up at Cooper, who was already doing the same. I guess Violet was feeling the tension between us and spoke up to break the silence. "So I take it you guys know each other?" She asked. Without taking his eyes off of me, Cooper nodded.

"Yeah. We had a few classes together last year." I didn't stop glaring at him, even when he looked down at the girl next to me. Violet looked up at me and I looked back at her. "So," he said. "What brought you to Westfield?" He was trying to keep her attention on him. Cooper and I never liked each other because he knew that I could expose him for the filthy pig he is.

"Um, well, my dad had an affair." My eyes widened. _What an asshole_, I thought to myself. "With one of his track students." Cooper's eyes widened as well, almost looking confused for a minute.

"A track student? You mean…" Violet laughed her adorable little laugh.

"No, she was a girl, I can assure you." I shook my head and Violet looked up to meet my eyes.

"If you love someone, you should never hurt them." I could see the agreement on Violet's face. She nodded her head.

"Right? I tried telling him that, but what grown man is going to take marriage advice from a teenager?" I shrugged, she had a point. Suddenly, Violet was digging through her bag and pulled out her phone. She stared at it and sighed.

"What?" I asked before Cooper did. He glared up at me, but I ignored it.

"My dad's got a meeting with the principal. He says he won't be out for a while, so I need to find a ride home." She dropped her phone back into her bag. I opened my mouth to offer, but the asshole across from us beat me to it.

"I can take you." He offered. The smile that played across his face was obviously fake. I know a faker when I see one. Violet half-smiled at the offer and nodded an 'okay'. She turned around gave me a light hug and said she'd see me tomorrow, and then she was gone with that damn player. I clenched my fists at my side and I felt anger boil inside me. I am not going to let him take her from me.

.


	3. The Beginning

_**Violet's POV**_

As Cooper drove me home, we talked about our favourite movies, what we thought of the people at school, etc. Today's events actually turned out to be the opposite of what I expected. I expected to show up on my first day and keep to myself as I dread the shitty day and come home with not a care in the world. But nope, I went in today and made two friends in one morning. When the conversation eventually died, I stared out the window at the passing houses as he turned on to my street. When Cooper pulled in, he put the car in park and turned to look at me. "So how was your first day?" He smiled.

"It's not over yet." I said shaking my head. He continued to smile and then turned to look at my house. One of those old styled Victorian's that people normally pay millions for, if that. But for some reason, my family it for an eighth of what it was worth. I looked at Cooper and thanked him for driving me home. I opened the car door, got out and shut it. I made it a few feet to the door and heard my name.

"Violet?" I turned to see Cooper's head sticking out of the window of his door. I walked back over to see what he wanted. "Um, do you think I could get your number?" I smirked and reached into my bag for a pen and jot down my number on his hand. He smiled and threw me a "catch ya later" wave. I waved as he pulled out of the driveway and took off down the street.

I walked inside and shut the door behind me. When it clicked shut I walked up to my room and closed the door, collapsing on to my bed. I laid there for a while until I finally got the energy to get up and start my homework. I opened my math book and groaned. Two pages due for tomorrow's class. I hate math, it's my worst subject.

* * *

After working on my homework for a couple of hours, occasionally pacing my room in frustration, I heard my mom call my name. I opened my door and peaked my head out, calling back to her. It was dinner time, yay. I took my time heading to the dining room, where my parents were patiently waiting on me. I sat down and began picking at my food.

Dinner was awkward tonight as it was any other night. My parents cast awkward glances at each other, and I'd sit there and pretend like all was fine. At one point, my dad took the time to break the silence in the room. "Dinner's great, honey." He said looking at my mother and smiled, taking another bite of her cooking. She smiled and nodded.

"You're welcome." Then she turned to look at me. "Violet, how was school today?" She asked. I shrugged my shoulders.

"It was fine I guess. I made a couple of friends today, no big deal." My mom smiled in comfort. She knew how I was with new people, so I guess she was hiding her surprise that I actually met some people without shoving them under the rug. My dad looked up from his plate to look from my mom to me, in what looked like disappointment.

"I'd say she had a good day, until I caught her smoking." Great! Just what I needed, a parental intervention about the dangers of smoking. But I suppose it was better then telling my mom that the friends I made were both boys; she'd get excited and ask which one I liked more. Truthfully, I wasn't sure. I mean they're both nice, but I can't admit to which one I'd rather date, I've only known them a day. I noticed my mom shake her head in disappointment.

"Violet, we talked about this." I groaned and rolled my eyes.

"I know, mom. I understand what smoking does to you." I made my annoyance show. "It's not like I'm doing coke out behind the bleachers."

"But all that crap in cigarettes are more addictive than coke, Vi." My dad stepped in. So now he's a cheater and a nicotine expert? Fantastic. I shoved my chair back, annoyed, and walked up to my room to relax.

* * *

Another couple of hours went by and I had changed into something more comfortable: fleece pajama shorts, socks and a black sweater that showed my tiny figure a little bit. When I did that, I collapsed down onto my bed and plugged in my iPod. It shuffled through about three songs before I heard a knock at my door. I groaned loud enough as I got to my feet to shut off my music. I walked to my door and my mom standing on the other side of it. I just looked at her and she smirked. "There's a boy at the door for you." She said before walking away. A boy? What would a boy being doing here this late?

I walked down the stairs and saw Tate standing in the foyer of my house. I made it to the bottom and walked to stand in front of him. As I looked up into his dark eyes, he looked back into mine and it made my heart race. Something about this guy made me feel things I never thought existed outside of those shitty love stories. I guess there was a truth to some things.

"Hey." He said, putting his hands in his jean pockets.

"Hey," I said back. "What are you doing here?" He looked down and then back up at me.

"I, um," he shifted nervously. He didn't seem nervous at school today, was he okay? "I just wanted to make sure you got home okay." I nodded and smiled. He smiled back, the nervousness lifting a little bit. I couldn't help but appreciate the gesture.

"Thanks." I mumbled. We stood there in silence for a minute before I got a crazy idea in my head. I figured my parents must be in bed or getting ready to go to sleep, so I turned to look at Tate, who just looked confused. "Want to come hang out for a bit?" I asked.

"What about your parents?" He asked then looked to his watch. "And it's almost ten-thirty, won't they be upset?" I loved how he was so worried all of a sudden.

"They should be in bed by now." I assured him. "You didn't seem worried about much today, what's up?" He shook his head.

"It's nothing. I just don't want my coach-I mean, your dad, wondering why one of his track students are up in his daughter's bedroom." He said as he nervously bit at his thumb. I rolled my eyes and took his hand and pulled him upstairs. Of course we were quiet going up. When we got to my room, I shut the door behind me and locked it. I turned to look at Tate; God he was beautiful. Pale skin, like mine, bright blonde hair, adorable smile, and those eyes of his…

"Are you okay?" I was suddenly pulled from my thoughts when I heard he was talking to me.

"Um…yeah." I blushed. "Just spacing out a little." He walked a little closer to me until he was an inch away. My heart started beating so fast, I swore he could hear it.

"Really? Were you possibly spacing about me?" How did he know? Hmm. And then I noticed that the bold Tate was coming back. I like this Tate; he was like me, careless of other's opinions, dressed somewhat the same and had a love for Nirvana.

I blushed and quickly tried to hide it. He smirked. I think he caught me. "Don't flatter yourself." I smirked back and went to sit on the carpet that sat at the foot of my bed. I patted the space next to me and he walked over and sat down. We started talking about all the music we liked, and as it turned out, he wasn't just a Nirvana fan; he also liked Hole, Seether, and Morrissey. He briefly mentioned that he hated his mother and his step-father. "What you hate them so much?" I asked.

"My mom's a cocksucker. Literally," he said. "That man she's married to now, Larry, is the man she snuck off with to bust and blow almost every other night when I was like…six, I think." I felt bad for him. He continued on. "And that bitch is also the reason his family killed themselves and for my dad leaving me." He looked down and sighed. I reached my hand out to him and took his and rubbed my thumb over his knuckles.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that." I whispered trying to get him to look at me. When he did, he shook his head to shake the memories and smiled.

"What about you?" He asked. "What's your story?" I hesitated to tell him why we moved here because normally I didn't trust people, but I felt my reasons were safe with him. He might have felt the same way when he told me his story. "I'm sorry," he said. "I know it's none of my-" I held my hand up.

"It's cool." I said and smiled. "Well," I let out a deep breath trying to figure out a way to brief him. "My dad cheated on my mom with a _female_ track student of his," he nodded as he remembered me saying that earlier to him when I was with Cooper. "And I guess his guilt pushed him to try and buy my mom's forgiveness by buying her a new house half way across the country." He squeezed my hand a little tighter.

"What a douche bag," he said. I just looked at him with a straight face. "Sorry." He muttered. I shook my head. I had to agree.

"Don't be, I'm not." He half smiled. "But um, a few months before that, my mom had this awful miscarriage and we had to have this macabre funeral for him." I saw something in Tate's eyes when I mentioned that last part. It almost looked like anger and sadness, but I figured it was just a sympathy thing, so I brushed it off.

"I'm so sorry," he said still holding my hand. I looked down; trying to fight back the tears I had been trying to hold back for months because of what that jerk did to my mom. He placed a finger underneath my chin and lifted my head up to look at him. My heart stopped when he touched me. And just the way he looked at me I swore he was going to kiss me. God knows that for some reason, I just wanted to jump this guy, but I've only known him for a day, and I wasn't sure if he felt the same way. "A girl as fragile as you doesn't deserve to be hurt like that." He whispered, still holding my eyes. I smirked at the idea of being called "fragile". For some reason I couldn't give Tate the same look I gave Cooper when he called me a princess for being the coach's daughter. Something about this guy just made everything feel right and I liked that. For once, I didn't feel the need like I had to hide myself.

I rested my hand on his cheek. "I am not fragile," he smiled. "I am merely just a stone. Hard to get through, but not completely unbreakable." In that same moment, I saw him leaning his face closer to mine and I couldn't help but feel the urge to do the same. Our lips were almost touching when his watch alarm went off. He groaned and stopped the beeping.

"I have to get going." He said disappointed as he got to his feet. "I have track in the morning and I don't feel like having your dad bust my nuts for being late." I laughed. I got to my feet and headed towards my bedroom door to walk him out. When I unlocked it, I turned to find him half way out my window. I rushed over.

"What are you doing?" I snapped in a whisper. He chuckled. "You can't use the front door like normal people?" He shook his head and landed on the branch between my house and the one next door. Then something dawned on me. "You're my neighbor?"

"Bingo." He laughed as he opened the window to what, my guess would be, his bedroom. When he got it open, he went to put his one foot in before I called back.

"Wait!" I called and ran to my bag and ripped out a piece of paper from one of my notebooks and grabbed a pen from my desk. I wrote my number down and ran back to my window and handed it to him. He took it from me and smiled, showing teeth. When he adjusted himself through his window, he turned back and waved at me. But before either of us closed our windows, he leaned out to say something.

"Goodnight, beautiful." He whispered before closing his window and turning off the light. I leaned back in, blushing as I closed my window. Wow, this guy seemed to have quite a hold on me. But I'm not complaining, it felt nice.


	4. Party

_**Tate's POV**_

I slept better than most nights. I dreamed of her. When I was coming home, or in last night's case, climbing home, she gave me her number. When she handed me the piece of paper containing all those numbers, my heart began to beat so fast. But I still couldn't help but wonder: what was it about this girl that made her so different? I tried to determine the answer when I went over last night. I still couldn't figure it out, but I'll admit, I am enjoying the mystery. God, she looked so cute in her shorts last night. Her legs were a creamy pale color and so slender, I just wanted to rub my hands all over them.

When I got up and walked over to my dresser to get my clothes out for the day, I heard a knock on my bedroom door. "Tate?" What the hell does she want? I angrily crossed my room and swung the door open to see my bitch of a mother standing there.

"What?" I snapped. She rubbed the back of her neck, nervous. Good.

"Well, um, Larry and I are taking Addie to see a movie tonight." I shrugged my shoulders. I didn't care about family outings; they were a waste of my time. Then it hit me: I would have the house to myself tonight. I could invite Violet over. I can cook dinner for her and-wait. Since when did I feel the want to cook for someone? Wow, this girl had quite the effect on me.

"Have fun." I said, shutting my door without letting her finish.

* * *

When I got downstairs, I saw Addie and Larry sitting at the kitchen table. Larry was reading the morning paper and Addie was looking through a fashion magazine. Addie looked up when I came into the room and smiled. I walked over to the fridge to poor myself some milk when Addie held up the magazine to show me a model.

"Isn't she pretty, Tate?" She asked me and I nodded, sipping my drink. She put the magazine down and continued to stare at the girl on the page. "I wish I looked like her."

"No need to wish for what you already have, Addie." I said and she smiled. Then the look on her face changed, almost suspicious.

"Did you meet a pretty girl, Tate?" Addie asked me. When she did, I noticed Larry shifting in his seat. God, was he nosey or what? I downed the rest of my milk, anxious to get out of this damn house. When I put my glass in the sink, I turned back to Addie and nodded. She smiled and continued to look through her magazine.

* * *

I got to school early enough to change into my uniform and make it out to the track. When I got there, I saw Violet sitting up in the stands, but to my dismay she wasn't alone. She was sitting with _him_. They were both looking through a book and every time he pointed at something, she would laugh. It was almost like elementary school, where the kids would share their interests and bond over them as much as possible. The sight made me sick, I can't stand to see her with that asshole. If only she knew how much of a douche bag he was, she'd have no interest in being his friend.

"Langdon!" I heard Coach Harmon calling. I turned my eyes towards him as he was waving me to line up. I was one of the first few runners up to handle the baton. When I was handed the bar, I positioned myself in line and gazed up at Violet. She was smiling down at me and I smiled back. With that, I knew I had to win this race for her, even if it was a mere practice run. Coach blew the whistle and I took off in a full sprint and was the first runner to hand my baton off. As I walked back to make another run, I looked up into the stands to see Violet clapping for me, and Cooper glaring at me with so much jealousy. And he should be, because he wasn't getting what was mine.

* * *

When practice ended I headed back towards the locker room when I heard footsteps approach me from behind. "Hey." I turned to see Violet by my side, Cooper not far behind. I fought the urge to spin around and tell him to get lost, but I didn't want to cause a scene, especially in front of Violet.

"Hey." I returned.

"You did really great this morning." Violet complimented me. I smiled at her and she smiled back. Jeez, I just wanted to grab her and kiss those beautiful lips so badly, but I knew I couldn't. If she wanted me to, she'd let me know. Then I remembered that everyone was going out tonight.

"Hey, Violet," she looked up at me. "Listen, I've got the whole house to myself tonight. If you wanted to come over…" Suddenly, Cooper was by her side with that same look on his face. Violet looked up at Cooper, then me, and then looked down. I was confused. I looked and then caught Cooper smirking at me.

"Um, I'm sorry, Tate." Violet mumbled. She stopped in her tracks and I stopped in front of her. "But, Cooper asked me to go to a party tonight." Cooper smirked at me again. If there was a God, only he would know how much I wanted to rip that dick's face off. But then I felt a sting of anger in my chest and nodded my head. "I'm sorry." She apologized again. I didn't say another word to her; I just turned around and stormed back to the locker room.

I waited until the locker room was completely empty before I let myself go. I jumped to my feet and began punching the lockers, picturing that son of a bitch's face. How could she go out with him? Was she really that naïve to play into his "nice guy" act? Then I realized it wasn't her I was mad at; I was mad myself. I had the chance to make a move, but I fucked off and left it at that. Maybe she thought I wasn't interested in her that way. Damn it! How could I be so stupid?

* * *

I avoided any contact Violet tried to make with me for the rest of the day. I went to all my classes and just raced out of the school when the day was done.

When I got to my car, I found Violet standing by her dad's car, talking to that sleaze. I really didn't want to see her with another guy. I was never going to accept the idea of Violet being with another guy, especially one I knew all too well. I stuck my key into the ignition and raced out of the lot.

When I got home, I found a note on my bedroom door from Addie.

**_"Went out to dinner then to the movies. _**

**_See you later._**

- **_Addie"_**

Good, now I didn't have to have an excuse for that bitch as to why I've been in my room since I came home without uttering a word to anyone. I slammed my door behind me and crashed onto my bed. It wasn't long before I hopped to my feet and blasted _Lithium_ on my stereo through my room.

* * *

It was clear that no one was coming home until late, which was fine. I could give two shits if I had to be honest. I lounged around on my bed until about two in the morning, when I heard my phone buzzing. I turned my stereo off and looked at the caller ID. It was an unknown caller, but I answered it anyway, not hiding my frustration from this morning's events. "Hello?" When I answered, I heard loud music in the background along with people laughing and screaming. "Hello?" I yelled into the phone.

"Hello?" It was Violet.

"Violet?" She giggled into the speaker. Was she drunk? How could that shithead take her to a party and not keep an eye on her drinking? Did he not understand how fragile she is? Did that kid really have a death wish?

"Tate, where are you?" She asked. Yeah, she was definitely wasted. I was beginning to worry because I wasn't there. If anything happened to her, I'd kill someone.

"I'm at home, Violet." She giggled into the phone.

"Hey, Vi!" I growled at the voice in the background. "Come smoke some!" Some guys cheered as Cooper seemed to offer her something. _Please say no_ was all I could think to myself.

"I can't, I'm talking to-" she hiccupped then giggled. "Tate." She finished her response. "Tate, come over here, I miss you." I knew she was majorly intoxicated, but just hearing her say that made my heart race. Then the background suddenly got quiet and Violet's voice changed. She sounded like she was crying. "Tate? Can you come get me?" With that, I wasn't going to ask questions. I told her to be outside when I showed up, hung up and jumped into my car and took off towards the party.

When I got to the house, I found Violet standing by a tree looking like she was hiding. When she turned and saw me pull up, she jumped into the car as quick and as balanced as she could. We drove back to my place in silence.

I pulled into my driveway and turned the car off. I turned around as much as I could to face her. Her cheeks were stained with tears and my heart sank. I didn't like seeing Violet like this. But whoever brought those tears to her eyes better pray I don't find them. "Violet, what happened?" I asked after a few minutes of silence. She sniffed and shook her head. I put my hand on hers and she looked down at our hands and then finally up at me.

"Tate…" she said.

"What happened, Violet?" More tears came down her cheeks and I squeezed her hands.

"Cooper," she said. "I don't know what happened. One minute we're having a good time, I met some of his friends, and the next thing I know, I'm already wasted off my ass." I'm really hoping he gave her a bigger dose of alcohol then something else.

"What did he do, Vi?" I asked her, worried and angry all at once. She sobbed before she gathered the nerve to answer.

"All I can remember is him grabbing me, trying to push me into something. When I pushed him off, he called me a bitch and then walked away." It was taking every ounce of strength in me not to turn this car back on and beat the hell out of that bastard. I was filling up with anger so fast, it surprised me. I have never wanted to fight for someone so much in my life. I always fought for Addie growing up, beating off all the neighborhood kids who teased her for having a disability, but this girl next to me, Violet was the one I wanted to look after more than anyone. I put my head down trying to fight off the anger. I was pulled from my efforts when I felt Violet squeeze my hand. "Tate?"

"I'm fine." I reassured her. She leaned closer to me with her other hand and stroked my cheek with it. My heart rate sped up at her touch. "Do you want to come inside? No one's home." She smiled and nodded. I then got out of the car and moved around to open her door. I took her up to my room and she lay down across my bed. I soon went out to the hall closet and grabbed a few blankets and pillows for myself to set down on the floor.

"Come lie down with me, Tate." I heard her whisper. I wasn't sure what to do, but if it made her feel safer, I wasn't going to object. I crawled in behind her and hesitantly put my arm around her waist, pulling her closer. "I love you, Tate." She whispered. My eyes widened, not sure if I heard her right. But I didn't say a word because she was still pretty drunk, so I wasn't going to fuel this right now. I just laid there with her. Within minutes, she was asleep.


	5. Sparks

_**Violet's POV**_

I woke up the next morning with a massive headache. When I opened my eyes, I looked around the room only to notice that it wasn't mine. This room had navy blue walls, a desk across from the bed and a dresser right beside it. I wasn't sure how I got here, but I'm happy I was. I looked down at myself and lifted the blanket that covered me and found that my clothes were still on. Phew! I got to my feet and stretched only to ignite my migraine. I winced at the pain and then heard movement come from behind me. I turned to find Tate still asleep, no shirt on and looking as adorable as ever. Had he brought me here? I lay back down beside him and lied down on my side facing him. Soon he rolled back over to face me and slowly opened his eyes. He smiled so sweetly at me, I blushed.

"I love it when you blush." He whispered to me as he threw some of my hair over my shoulder. I blushed again and he smiled. "How are you feeling?" He was serious now.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Other than having a headache so bad that I want to bash my head against something, I'm fine." He half smiled at me. Was something wrong? Did something happen? "Are you okay?" He nodded.

"I'm just worried about you. Do you remember anything from last night?" I shook my head. I sat up and he mimicked me, resting his hand on my knee.

"Did you bring me here last night?" He nodded. "Why?" He sighed and the expression on his face changed. Something was telling me that his reasons for bringing me here weren't good and that I didn't want to know. But I did. "Tate?"

"I brought you here last night because Cooper tried to force you into something you weren't after and he left you alone at the party, majorly intoxicated. And you called me crying, so I went and got you." I looked down at his hand on my knee. I rested my head on his shoulder and hugged his chiseled arm close to me. After hearing how Tate saved me from a bad night, clearly with a bad guy, I immediately felt so safe with him. "I'm sorry, Violet." He whispered. I moved my head so I could look at him.

"Sorry for what?" I asked. He sighed again.

"I should have warned you about Cooper." I was confused and I guess he noticed. "He's a major player. He clearly hasn't gotten laid in a while, so he figured he'd go after the new girl. I figured I knew his game plan and I should have said something." I took a deep breath and laid my head back down. I understood his reasons, which is why I didn't get upset. He was just looking out for me and I loved that.

"I don't care," I mumbled and Tate stiffened a little bit. "I'm the stupid, naïve new girl from Boston and I thought he was just being nice to me. Now that I know what kind of person he is, I feel even dumber." I let a tear fall from my eye in my humiliation. Tate suddenly moved his arm out of my grip and wrapped it around my shoulders, pulling me closer to him. He slipped a finger underneath my chin and turned my face to look at his.

"There is nothing stupid about you, Violet. You're perfect." I felt my blood boiling in my veins. When I looked into his eyes, all I saw was want. I could feel him very lightly pulling my face towards his. I put in an effort to meet him half way. The hand that was elevating my chin was now sitting on my knee as our lips met. I felt a jolt of feelings that I had never felt with anyone before. As he kissed me, it was filled with such passion, it was a strange feeling, but I wasn't stopping until he did.

Our lips danced and fought for dominance. I could suddenly feel myself being pushed down onto my back, feeling the mattress underneath me and Tate on top of me. He pulled his arm out from behind my neck so both hands were now resting on either side of my head as he sank down to keep kissing me. Something in this kiss was telling me that there was something about this guy that I couldn't let go of. I don't think I could if I wanted to. I could suddenly feel Tate's hands wandering up and down my sides and I couldn't help but moan at how good it felt. The way he touched me made me feel at ease and that I was safe in his grasp. I could suddenly feel his hardness developing in his jeans and he began kissing me down my neck and to my collarbone. I let out another moan, but I tried to keep quiet in case someone else was home.

"Violet," he whispered my name, pulling away from my skin. I looked up and into his dark eyes. "Before this continues, I want to tell you something." Uh oh, should I be worried? I'm thinking I should be. Tate climbed off of me and moved to sit down at the foot of his bed, hands folded and looking down. I sat up and waited for him to say something, but he stayed quiet.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Last night, when I brought you here and I put you to bed…you told me to come and lie down with you…" he trailed off, figuring out a way to continue. Where was this going? "And…you told me you loved me." And with that, my blood ran cold and my heart stopped. Oh, shit! But I guess I can't be too surprised, I mean, I felt like I've loved him since the first time I saw him. Sure, it was awkward at first, but he was so sweet and gentle. He never gave me a reason to worry about his intentions. I was pulled from my thoughts when I heard Tate exhale a deep breath. I slipped out from under the blanket and crawled down to where he was sitting and wrapped my arms around his shoulders. I laid a gentle kiss on the back of his head.

"And I meant it." I whispered into his ear. He turned around to look at me. I know I haven't known this boy for long, but I couldn't help the way I felt about him. He reached around me to wrap his arm around my waist and gently pull me onto his lap. I wrapped my arms around his neck and just gazed into his eyes.

"I love you too, Violet." He leaned in and kissed me again, pulling me closer so our chests met. I couldn't think of anything wrong with the guy I was kissing. I believed that no matter what, I couldn't change my feelings about him. He slowly pulled away after a minute. "Did you want to take a shower before I walk you home?" I felt in need of one, but I didn't want to leave right after, so I shook my head. Tate nodded. "It's almost eleven, I should get you home." I looked at his alarm clock. Shit! "Come on." He said, getting to his feet and putting me on mine.

* * *

Tate walked me to my front door. When we got there, we just stood there and smiled at each other. I really didn't want him to leave. He leaned down and kissed my cheek, reminding me I'd see him on Monday. I watched him walk down the walkway and out past the gate before I walked in through the door to see my dad pacing nervously in the living room, my mom trying to calm him down. When he heard the door click shut, he looked up in such anger I braced myself for whatever he was about to throw at me.

"Where were you?" He yelled from the living room. My mom jumped off the couch and jumped in front of him.

"Ben! She's home, there's no need to yell." She turned to look at me, hands on her hips. I saw more disappointment on her face then anger. "Violet, where were you?" My mom asked me, my dad anxiously waiting for a chance to flip his lid. I sighed.

"I'm sorry, I should have called and-" my dad ran up behind my mom.

"Damn right you should have! You-" my mom put her hand up to keep him quiet. He was so upset, he went to go sit down on the couch; resting his face in his hands.

"You told us you were going out with Cooper last night. We told you to be back by ten, and you don't show up until eleven o'clock the next morning." I took a deep breath. I didn't want to tell them that Cooper tried to force his hands on me and that I had stayed at Tate's last night, that would piss my dad off even more. Not to mention he'd see it as a violation of our agreement. So I had to come up with something, and fast.

I sighed. "The truth is, Cooper took me to a party at his friend's house last night. I didn't drink or do anything. He got wasted and tried hitting on another girl. I got pissed off and went for a walk. When I got back, he was passed out on the couch and I called a friend to come and pick me up." That was about as good of a lie as I could give on such short notice. My mom shook her head in disappointment.

"I can't believe you lied to us, Violet." My mom said. I felt bad for lying to them right now, but I wasn't willing to get Tate into trouble for saving me last night.

"I'm sorry." I said, faking my guilt a little bit. My dad walked back and stood up beside my mom. She moved over a bit to give him and room and keep her space, since they were still on the outs.

"And which friend picked you up? Why couldn't they call us?" My dad snapped, but not as upset. I stayed silent. "Was it Tate? Did Tate bring you home?" He asked, raising his voice. "Violet, I thought we had-" That was it. I was done hearing about that stupid deal we made last year.

"Yes, okay? Yes! Tate brought me home!" I yelled back at my dad. My mom's eyes went wide with surprise. "And enough about that stupid agreement we made! You cheated on mom with some high school bitch and _I'm_ expected to keep a promise?" I finished yelling and the house went dead silent. My dad opened his mouth to say something but then closed it. I was breathing deeply in and out, trying to calm myself down. I felt tears rushing to the surface. Whenever I got worked up, I would cry out of frustration. My mom took a step towards me but I backed off and ran up to my room and slammed the door.

I stormed over to my desk and pulled out a hidden pack of cigarettes from one of the drawers and pulled one out, grabbing my lighter from my bag. I walked to my window and opened it and lit the cigarette. I sat there and took a few puffs before I heard the window next door open and saw him sitting there. I just looked at him and shook my head. He knew there was something wrong, and I knew that he wasn't going to let it go. "What happened?" He asked.

"I told my parents I went to a party with Cooper last night. Then I confirmed my dad's assumptions of you being the one to bring me home this morning." Tate nodded his head.

"And?"

I chuckled a bit. "And then he brought up that stupid deal we made and then I threw his affair in his face, telling him I shouldn't have to keep a promise if he couldn't." Tate raised his eyebrows.

"And you think smoking is going to make you forget?" He teased, pointing at my burning smoke. I took another inhale before I answered him.

"I wish. It would make my life in this house a lot easier." He nodded.


	6. First Time

_**Tate's POV**_

**Two Weeks Later...**

I woke up that morning and dreaded the idea of going to track. I really didn't want to put up with Violet's dad. But he's lucky because it's her who gets me there every morning. If they weren't in any way related, I would have quit the team the second I heard his name.

* * *

When I got to practice that morning, I found Violet just arriving with her dad, Cooper following closely behind. I'd kill that kid if her dad wasn't around to witness. As I got closer to the track, I noticed Cooper had snuck past Violet's dad and demanded to know why she was suddenly not speaking to him. I stood and listened as Cooper continued to ask Violet questions and she ignored them. I kept my distance because she insisted that she was a strong girl. I'm sure she'd let me know if she needed my help. She knew I'd be there in a heartbeat if she was in trouble.

"Langdon!" I heard Coach Harmon calling me. I looked at him and he waved me over. As I got closer, he instructed the rest of the team to run a couple of laps. As they all took off, he turned towards me. He didn't make me nervous or intimidate me, I was just curious as to what he wanted to talk me about. What had Violet told him? "I want to thank you for looking out for my daughter over the weekend." I nodded.

"You're welcome."

"I just want to ask you one favor though." I stood there and waited. "That kid messed with my daughter this weekend," he said pointing towards Cooper who was still trying to get Violet to speak to him. "All I ask is that you keep a close eye on him. I know boys like him, and Violet's smart, so I know she won't make the same mistake of listening to him again." I nodded and continued to look at how pathetic Cooper looked begging for Violet to talk to him. It made me feel so good to see that dick get a taste of what he's done to all the girls he screwed with. "And I also know that boys like him won't give up until they get their share of what they think is theirs. And it certainly won't be my daughter."

"No sir," I agreed. "It won't be." I looked back at Violet who had a worried look on her face. I smiled at her to reassure her that everything was fine.

* * *

When chemistry ended, Violet stuck close to my side as we walked out holding hands. I wasn't afraid of showing people that we were together, not even her father. But I was sure she was, but then again, after all the bullshit from the weekend, I'm sure she was over it. I was not afraid to flash around my new girlfriend and how beautiful she was. She occasionally denied being anywhere near it, but all I had to do was kiss her and tell her how beautiful I thought she was and she'd reconsider.

When we got to her locker, she opened it to exchange her books before we headed to the cafeteria.

We got to the cafeteria and sat down at a table, just the two of us. It felt nice to be alone with her, especially in a crowded place. I pulled out my lunch and she just looked around. I asked her if she had a lunch, she shook her head. Thankfully, I made two lunches. I'm a seventeen year old boy, what'd you expect? She kindly accepted the offer and slowly bit in to a sandwich.

"So," she said. "What did my dad talk to you about?" I knew she must have been worried that her dad might have told me to stay away; I was no longer welcome around her, yeah yeah.

"He asked me to keep an eye on you. After what you told him about Cooper, he's suspicious about his new intentions, if he has any." Violet nodded. She turned to meet my eyes and smiled. I took her hand in mine and gently squeezed it.

"Don't worry, Violet," the smile faded. "I won't let anyone or anything hurt you."

* * *

After school I stopped by my locker and grabbed my chemistry notes for Violet because she asked to do homework together tonight. I closed to my locker and headed down the hall to leave, but then stopped when I saw _him _standing by her locker. I guess he thought he was going get another chance with her if he gave her the impression that he was a nice guy and nothing he did was his fault. But like her father said, she was smarter then that. I walked over to him and he rolled his eyes when he saw me.

"Leave Violet alone." I warned him. He stood up straight, eyes challenging me.

"Why should I?" He folded his arms across his chest.

"Because she doesn't want you. After the shit you pulled at the party, you're lucky you're still standing." He sputtered a laugh, mocking me. He's got balls, I'll give him that. He's lucky I don't rip his heart out right now.

"And you know this…how?" His said, his tone now mocking. I glared into his eyes so harshly; fear began to flutter in them.

"Because she has me." I growled. "And she's mine." He gulped. I walked past him and busted out the door. I forced myself to calm down before I reached my car where Violet was standing, waiting for me. I guess I didn't do a quick enough job, 'cause she caught it.

"Are you okay?" She asked as I unlocked the car and we both climbed inside. "Tate."

"I'm fine, Violet." I said as I pulled out of the driveway and headed to my place.

* * *

We went through our chemistry notes for over an hour until we both got bored. Violet dropped her books to the floor and stood up to stretch her aching legs. I did the same and stretched my arms as well. She smiled at me and I slipped her into my arms, pulling her close. We gazed at each other until our lips met. I could feel her smiling into the kiss. She gently pulled away and went to lie down on my bed, pulling me with her. She pulled me on top of her, cupping my face in her hands and kissed me. I spread her legs apart to settle myself between them. I guess she gasped when she felt my hard on. Our lips continued to move against each other. I slipped my tongue over her bottom lip and she opened her mouth to grant me access. She let out a moan when my hands moved down her sides, just missing her breasts.

Soon she had her hands pulling at the hem of my sweater and I pulled away from the kiss to pull it over my head, followed by my t-shirt. I leaned back over her and ghosted my lips against hers. I then decided to take her shirt off. Despite the amount of layers she wore, it was still easy to undress her. She then wrapped her arms around herself. I rubbed my thumb over her cheek to comfort her. "You don't have to hide yourself from me, Violet. You're perfect." And it was true. This beautiful girl lying underneath me was perfect in every way possible. She blushed and I leaned down to kiss her neck. I reached around to unclasp her bra, revealing her perky breasts underneath, her nipples already hard. She moaned when I leaned over to take one of them in between my teeth. She tangled her fingers in my hair and I groaned when she pulled a little bit.

As I continued to stroke her nipples with my tongue, I felt her move her hands down in between us to unbuckle my belt. I immediately stopped and grabbed her hands and looked at her. She looked at me confused. "I want to, Tate." She whimpered.

"Are you sure?" I asked as I sighed. She nodded and pulled me back down to kiss her. As I did so, she continued to work on unbuckling my jeans. When she succeeded, I kicked them down off my legs. She looked down and her eyes widened at how big I was. I blushed and she smiled. I kissed down between her breasts, down her stomach, until I reached the edge of her black leggings. I looked up for an okay and she nodded her head. After I threw the material to the floor, I noticed how wet she was. "Jesus, Violet." She blushed. I leaned back over her to grab the waistband to her underwear. When she gave me the okay, I ripped them off and threw my boxers off with them.

After I positioned myself over her again, we kissed again for a few minutes before I reached over my nightstand to grab a condom. I took the wrapper between my teeth and ripped it open. I wrapped it over my hard arousal and positioned myself over her again.

"Are you ready, Vi?" I whispered to her. When she nodded, I positioned my head at her entrance and slowly pushed in. I kept going, waiting for her to tell me to stop. But she never did. I pushed in until I was fully inside of her. She gasped at first, but when I pulled out and slowly pushed back in, the moaning began. I kept up the slow pace for a while.

"Oh, Tate," she moaned into my ear. This girl's noises alone would drive me over the edge. "Faster. Please." She begged. I picked up the pace a bit and she moaned louder. I guess it was good that no one else was home or else this wouldn't end well. As Violet continued her noises, I picked up the pace a bit more until her legs began to quiver under me. However, I'm not going to let myself go before her. "Tate!" She called out my name in so much pleasure, I felt her release flow around me, and I wasn't too far behind.

After leaning in to kiss her once more, I fell onto the space on my bed beside her and we both lied there until our breathing slowed down. "That was," I began.

"Wow." Violet finished for me. I'll admit, I had some major sex episodes in the past, but none of them were compared to this. Violet may have been a virgin, but she got the title for the best sex partner, ever. When our breaths calmed down a bit, she wrapped an arm around my torso and pulled herself to rest on my chest. We stayed that way for what felt like hours until Violet broke the silence. "I love you, Tate." My heart started beating against my chest, I was sure she could hear it. I kissed the top of her head and rubbed her back.

"I love you too, Violet. Always." Another few minutes of silence passed by. "Are you hungry?" She nodded. We got up, got dressed and headed downstairs to the kitchen.

* * *

I fixed up some eggs and French toast. We ate in brief silence until it was my turn to break the silence. "How do you feel?" I asked. Violet smiled before she cut into an egg. She looked up into my eyes and smiled.

"Good. I feel…amazing." That made me smile even bigger. I was glad I could make her feel good, among other things.

"Thank you." I said after a moment of silence and fork tapping. She looked at me in confusion. "For being you. I'm so sick of all the girls around here with their Barbie Doll bullshit. You're real and I love that about you." I saw a tear drip down Violet's cheek and I reached over and took her hand. "Are you okay?"

She nodded as she wiped the tear away. "I'm fine," she confirmed. "It's just…you're the first person I've ever met who sees me for who I am and not some weird piece of trash." My grip on her hand tightened. Violet Harmon was the girl of my dreams and I was determined to make her feel as special as possible for the rest of her life. She was the first girl I'd ever met and not wanted to scream "fake" at. She was nothing but herself and I wasn't willing to let her think otherwise. I pulled her hand to my lips and kissed it, making her smile. She had such a beautiful smile, it was actually quite contagious.


	7. Trouble in Paradise

_**Violet's POV**_

After Tate and I finished eating, we went upstairs to collect my stuff so Tate could walk me home. I don't know why he felt the need to walk me home, I only live next door. As I was packing up my things, I thought back to this afternoon's events and couldn't help but laugh a little. "What?" Tate asked from behind me. I closed my bag and turned to face him. I walked over and laced my hands together behind his neck and smiled up at him.

"Who would have thought that an afternoon of chemistry homework would have gotten us into having sex?" I said. He placed his hands on my hips and pulled me closer to him.

"If there's an answer to that, I don't want to hear it. I just want to enjoy every second I get to spend with you." He kissed me deeply. His hold on me tightened and I deepened the kiss. Then something in my head clicked and I pulled away to go and sit down on his bed. He walked over and sat beside me.

"What's wrong?" He asked, taking a hold of my hand. I sighed.

"I want to tell my dad about us." His eyes widened at the idea. I know my dad only asked for Tate to look out for me, but it would make more sense to me if he could do that while my dad knew we were together. Sure, we've been showing off our affections for one another lately, but I guess he still hasn't caught on yet.

Tate dropped his head into his hands and rubbed his face. He looked back at me. "Are you sure?" I nodded.

"Tate we've been acting like a couple for a while and he still hasn't found out. I want him to know the truth." He nodded as he considered my words. "And I'm not going to make the same mistake by hiding you like my dad hid his mistress." Tate smiled at the thought. And it was true, someone had to tell the truth in that house, and I'm sure it wouldn't be my dad, so I grabbed my bag, took Tate's hand and we headed for my house.

* * *

I sat my parents down on the couch across from the one that Tate and I had sat on. My mom greeted Tate with a nice handshake and smile. My dad just glared at us. We sat in silence for a bit before someone spoke up.

"So," my dad said. "What's this about?" He asked, motioning between Tate and I.

I gulped. "Well, I wanted to be honest about something, since there have been nothing but lies in this family." My mom shifted in her spot on the couch next to my dad. My dad did the same, only he sat himself in what to him seemed like an intimidating sitting position.

"Go on, Violet." My mom ushered me along. I'm sure she knew what was coming, but wanted to hear it come from me. I took a deep breath and felt Tate begin to rub my back.

"It's going to be okay." He whispered to me with a smile.

I turned my attention back to my parents. "The truth is…I've been seeing Tate for the past couple of weeks." My mom raised her eyebrows at me and turned to my dad, who just glared at me. I knew I broke our stupid deal, but he broke up our family. What do you think is worse? I sat in silence beside Tate. Now that the secret was out, he didn't seem to care and reached over to take my hand. I looked up at my mom who didn't know what to say. I think this whole confession was more between my dad and I. He continued to glare at me and Tate.

"Violet, we had-" he stopped himself, remembering the last time he brought up our deal. I could tell my words cut him deep because every time the opportunity presented itself to say something, he couldn't. He only made small references to it, like he did just now. "Violet, he's on the track team." I sighed in frustration, I knew I wasn't going to get past this, no matter what was said or done.

"I'll quit." I heard Tate blurt out. I looked over to see him looking at my dad, dead serious. "If being on the team means that I can't be with Violet, I'll quit." _No Tate, please don't do this, they need you_. I watched as Tate and my dad continued to stare each other down. This was getting intense. My dad eventually got to his feet and paced in front of the fireplace with his hands on his hips. He did this for a few minutes before he stopped and looked at us.

"Fine," my dad said sitting back down next to my mom. "You can see my daughter, Tate," we both smiled. "But, you're off the team." My smile dropped in that second.

"What?" I snapped. "Dad-" Tate squeezed my hand. I looked at him with concern. How could he just offer his position like that? He was one of the best members of the team and he gave it up like that?

"End of discussion, Violet." My dad said as he got up and walked out of the living room. My mom had her head down.

"Mom, go talk to him!" I began to raise my voice. She lifted her head to meet my eyes.

"This is between you and your dad." Was all she said before she got to her feet and followed after him. I just sat there and tried to think of ways to keep him on the team and be with me without my dad involving that damn deal of ours. I have to follow through with a deal, but he can't follow through with his promise to love my mother, which is a rule invoked by the law? What a hypocrite.

I dropped my face into my hands and immediately felt Tate's hand begin to rub my back. It felt nice, but it didn't help the current situation. "Violet, calm down." He whispered to me. "I made this decision the moment I saw you." I looked up at him. He made a decision to quit running if it meant he could be with me, when he didn't even know me? "I wanted you the moment I saw you. And when I heard about the deal with your dad, I decided that if I could have you, I'd leave the team." I felt a tear come down my cheek. My heart began to race because no one had ever done something like that for me before. "I love you, Violet." He whispered, placing a kiss on my cheek and wiped away my tear.

"I love you too." He smiled and pulled me into his arms.

* * *

When school came around the next day, I didn't get an angry knock at my door. I looked up at my alarm clock to see that it was almost seven thirty. I got up to look outside my bedroom window and noticed my dad's car wasn't in the driveway. I guess he really was serious about Tate leaving the team. I threw my head back in disappointment and yawned. I guess he left because he thought Tate would drive me to school.

I did my usual morning routine and headed down to the kitchen to grab a bottle of Gatorade from the fridge. As I was leaving the kitchen, my mom walked in and smiled at me. When I made it halfway to the front door, I heard her voice. "Violet?" I rolled my eyes and turned to walk back to the kitchen. I sat down at the kitchen island and she leaned over the counter towards me. "I'm really sorry about Tate being kicked off the team." I nodded my head and looked down, waiting for her to let me go to school. "I also want you to know that I completely disagree with your father's reasons for having him removed."

"It's fine." Though it really wasn't. "At least I was honest about something, unlike him." She smirked. "But we can't all be saints." And with that, she nodded her head towards the door, signaling me to go to school. I smirked and waved a goodbye as I headed out the door.

As I made it to the sidewalk I heard a whistle coming from across the yard. I turned my head to see Tate leaning up against his car. He waved me over and I did. When I got there, he opened his arms to bring me into a hug. He kissed the top of my head and whispered a "good morning, beautiful" into my ear. I was still upset about yesterday's decision, but it wasn't for me to mourn over. Tate lost his position on the track team, and I was the one feeling bad because he did it for me. He loved track, and he gave it up to be with me. "What's wrong, Vi?" He asked me. I shook my head. He lifted my face up so our eyes could meet. "You did nothing wrong, it was my decision and I wouldn't change it for anything or anyone." He said as he smiled down at me. I couldn't help but smile back. He leaned down and kissed me gently and then opened the passenger door for me. I climbed in just as he was opening his door. He turned the key in the ignition and we were off to school.

* * *

When we got to school, he followed me to my locker. I opened it to exchange my afternoon work with my morning work. When I closed it, I saw Cooper coming down the hall towards me. I stiffened and Tate held my hand to let me know that he was there and not going anywhere. Cooper glared at Tate the entire walk until he finally reached us, then his eyes met mine. "Violet will you please talk to me?" This guy had been bugging me for weeks to give him another chance. Over those weeks, I've slowly been getting my memory back of that night, so if he tried to tell me that Tate had been lying, I'd know the truth.

"Why? What is there to talk about?" I snapped at him. He stood there and leaned against my locker. He folded his arms across his chest and looked up at Tate. I turned around to see him eyeing Cooper in such a nasty way. Tate saved me from Cooper's sick intentions at the party, so I wasn't sending him away. "Tate knows about you and what you tried to do to me." Cooper tried to look surprised and in shock.

"What are you talking about?" His eyes were in slits and he stood up straight. "I didn't do anything to you, Violet."

"No, you didn't. But you tried. And because I wouldn't go along with it, I ended up alone with a bunch of seniors I hardly knew. And then, when girls continued to ignore your perversions, you tried to convince me to snort coke with you." His eyes widened. Tate's hand tightened around mine. I looked into Cooper's eyes; I guess he didn't expect me to remember.

"I, um," he was fumbling for an explanation to save his ass. It wasn't working. Then he blurted something out. "How do you know Tate's telling the truth?" I smirked at the question, because what Tate told me is what I remember from that night.

"My mind works in ways that yours doesn't, Cooper. While you go on for months not being able to remember shit after a bad night, I pick up bits and pieces over time. And it only took me a week to remember what you did." Cooper shook his head, trying to find another explanation. I was getting tired of this.

"It might have been Henry," he said. I rolled my eyes.

"Henry has a buzz cut, not wavy hair like you." He no longer had a lie to come up with, and the look on his face said so. When he didn't say anything else, I turned around towards English and started walking with Tate still holding my hand.


	8. Date Night

_**Tate's POV**_

It was Saturday night and I was getting ready to have dinner with Violet. I showered, shaved and got dressed. It felt weird doing this because normally I don't get all dressed up for anything. I told Constance that I was having dinner with Violet while everyone was out. She tried to give me some extra cash for something nice for Violet, but Violet wasn't the type for all that fancy shit. Not to mention that I was holding the dinner at home. I'm sure she'd like to go out, but I don't like being surrounded by people most of the time; school was bad enough.

When everyone left, I pulled out a few pots and pans and pulled out everything I'd need for dinner. I made spaghetti with a homemade sauce and garlic bread. When I set the dining room table, I left a pack of gum in the middle of everything because what I was planning for after dinner, I'm sure neither of us wanted the other to smell like garlic.

The doorbell rang at seven-thirty and I raced to answer it. I don't know why I was so excited about having dinner with my girlfriend. But then again, she gave me a reason to get and look forward to the day. I opened the door and saw Violet standing on the other side of it, dressed in a scarlet dress that came just above her knees and silver flats I guess you'd call them. I couldn't help but smile at the scene in front of me, and I guess she couldn't either. I ushered her inside, shut the door and led her to the dining room. When we got there, her face lit up and it made my heart skip. "Wow, Tate." Was all she could say at the moment. I took her hand and sat her down, turned off the lights and sat down next to her. God, she looked so beautiful in the candlelight. She smiled at me and I smiled back as I rested my hand on her knee and rubbed it a bit.

"I didn't know you could cook." She said as she looked around the table. I blushed.

"It's not something I really do for anyone but myself." I said. "But tonight, there was a good reason." She arched an eyebrow at me and smirked.

"And that reason was?" She asked in a cheeky voice. I looked into her eyes and held her gaze.

"You." She blushed and I smiled. She was so adorable when she blushed, it wasn't even funny.

* * *

We ate dinner in silence. It didn't bother me so much because when I first learned to cook for myself, Constance told me that silence was a good sign. Normally I didn't give a shit about what she said, but right now, I was willing to make an exception.

When Violet finished, she leaned back into her chair and rubbed her stomach and smiled. "That was delicious." She complimented me. Once again, I blushed. I have never blushed so much in my life, it was like this girl changed me in ways no one could. She might have even put a spell on me.

"Are you ready for desert?" I asked her. She raised her eyebrows as she took a piece of gum. I did the same, for reasons already mentioned.

"There's more?"

"Well, no more food." I said as I got up from my chair, took her hands in mine and pulled her to her feet. I pulled her hands up to rest on my shoulders as I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her close to me. She smiled and I returned it. God, she was so beautiful, it was killing me. Her eyes were such a dark brown, but wonderful to look into. Her smile was sweet, displaying perfect teeth. I leaned down to kiss her again, but this time it was deep and full of passion. She kissed me back as she laced her hands around my neck. I then reached around to grab her ass and pull her up so her legs to lock around my waist. She squealed in the process. When I secured my grip on her, I took her upstairs.

* * *

We were both completely naked before we hit my bed. I gently laid her down on the bed and crawled over top of her. I pulled a sheet over us in case someone came in or in case she got cold. As long as she was comfortable, so was I. I couldn't put my needs before hers, it felt selfish to me. And I couldn't be selfish with this girl. Never.

We kissed each other with intense passion; we had to pull away for a minute to catch our breaths. While I let her catch hers, I began to kiss down her neck and all the way down to her navel. She moaned a little the farther I went down. When I got to her core, I stopped and I looked up to meet her eyes. She looked worried. I lined myself up with her and caught her eyes. "It's going to be okay." I whispered. "I promise, I won't hurt you." She smiled and nodded her head to let me continue. I slowly leaned back down to her heat and positioned myself. I lightly took my tongue and ran it over her folds. She moaned a little and I knew I was doing something right. I increased the speed of my tongue a little bit and Violet began to scream in pleasure. Every time she made a noise, the throbbing in my dick intensified and I just wanted to take her right now. So I decided to do so. I crawled up so my body was aligned with hers. We stared into each other's eyes for a moment before she spoke.

"Tate," she whispered. "I need you. I want you." She begged through pleasure. I leaned down to kiss her. As our lips ghosted one another, I slowly pushed into her. She moaned into the kiss and my pace picked up a little. Even though we've already done it once before, I was still trying to keep myself composed and trying not to hurt her. She gripped my shoulders and I could feel her nails digging into my skin. The sting of pain hit me, but it turned me on even more. I picked up the pace and she felt so tight around me, God it was amazing. "Tate!" She moaned loudly. I could feel her walls beginning to contract and I wrapped an arm around her waist to pull her closer. When she made her release, I wasn't far behind her. I dropped my head onto her shoulder and stayed like that for a bit. As she was trying to catch her breath, I could feel her massaging my head and tangling her fingers in my hair. I soon rolled off her, with my arm still around her and relaxed on her chest. I closed my eyes and listened to her hear beat. "What are you thinking about?" She asked, pulling me from focus. I smiled to myself and then looked up at her. She looked down with a smile. I pulled her body closer to mine as I answered.

"I'm thinking you, how amazing you feel when we make love, and just how beautiful you are." She began to trace patterns along the skin on my back. It felt really good. Suddenly, her phone started vibrating. She slowly sat up and reached onto the floor and into the pocket of her dress to answer it. The look on her face told me it wasn't good.

"Cooper just texted me." Will this kid ever stop? She sat there and stared at her phone until I finally took it from her hands. She pulled her knees up to her chest. "I don't know why he just doesn't stop." I looked over the message.

**_"I don't know what the hell that psycho boyfriend of yours told you, but I didn't do anything. Meet me in the parking lot Monday morning."_**

Psycho? This asshole doesn't even know what psycho is. What he doesn't seem to get is that I wasn't at the party to see anything that happened. Violet called me crying and told me what he tried to do to her. I looked over the message again, closed it and handed it back to her. I was so upset with how hard this kid was trying. Violet was happy with me and he knew it, but he thought he could do better. The guy can't even hold a relationship for a day because of the way he treats girls. What makes him think he'll be any different towards Violet?

"Tate?" Violet whispered. "Tate, are you okay?" I nodded. She slipped her hand into mine and squeezed it. I entwined our fingers and held them close to me. "I'm not going." She said. I looked over at her with a straight face. "I don't want anything to do with that creep." I half smiled and wrapped my arm around her shoulders. I didn't want Violet to make the mistake of talking to him ever again. It's sickening that he has the nerve to continue pursuing her when, one: she was already with me. And two: she knew the truth about him and I wanted it left in the past. Violet was mine, and I was going to make damn sure he knew it.

A little while later, her phone began to ring. It was _him_. Violet picked up her phone and looked at the caller ID. That's it, I was ending this. I grabbed Violet's phone from hand and answered it. "Tate!" She whispered. I got up from the bed while she stayed wrapped underneath the sheet.

"Violet? Violet are you there?" His voice made me want to rip him apart. Every time I hear his name, see his name, or hear his voice, I couldn't help but fill up with rage because of what he did to my Violet. She may have a tough interior, but like she said "she wasn't completely unbreakable". The night she called me to pick her up was because of him. He was lucky he was inside. I'd have no problem causing a scene in front of his friends, but I couldn't let Violet see that side of me.

"Listen," I said, not holding my anger back. "Violet has made it very clear that she wants nothing to do with you. You hurt her and that offends me. Go near her again or continue to harass her; you'll have me to deal with." And without another word from him or me, I hung up the phone. I looked over to see Violet staring at me in horror. I quickly sat back down next to her and took her in my arms. "Don't be scared, Vi." She wrapped her arms around my torso to keep us close.

"I just don't want to see anyone get hurt." My blood ran cold for a moment. Even after the stunt he pulled, she's still willing to look out for him? I suddenly pulled away and pulled my boxers on. "Tate?" She called in confusion.

I ran my fingers through my hair. "Why?" She just stared at me. I was pacing my room now. "After the shit he tried to force you into, you still care about what happens to him?" My tone was rising a little. She got up and slipped her underwear and bra back on, and then walked over to me and put her hands on my face.

"Of course not." She said as she found my eyes. "I know you want to hurt him the way he hurt me, but I just don't want to see you get in trouble." Tears began to form in her eyes. "I love you, Tate. And it's because I love you that I don't want to see you get involved." I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her into a hug, holding her tightly against me. I rubbed her back and kissed the top of her head.

Soon after, her phone rang again. She groaned and reached for it on the bed and checked the caller ID. _Please do not let it be him_, I thought to myself. "It's my dad." I let out a deep breath, but kept my face composed. "Hello?" She sat down on the bed and I sat down beside her. I could hear her dad on the other end. He sounded like he was yelling, but Violet shook her head. Apparently the volume on her phone was turned up. When she got off the phone, she stood up. "I have to go. My dad wants me up early for a family breakfast tomorrow morning." I nodded in understanding.

* * *

When we got dressed, we walked downstairs and we cleared the table and set the dishes in the sink. She offered to help me do them since I made dinner, but I told her not to worry about it.

I walked her home. We held hands and when we got to her door, she turned around, took fistfuls of my shirt and pulled me down to rest her lips against mine. When I pulled away, I relaxed my forehead against hers. "Tonight was amazing." I said and she smiled.

"It was. Thank you so much." I stood up straight and put my hands on her hips.

"For what?" She blushed.

"For just being you. Being there for me, even when you don't need to be." I smiled at her. I would do anything for this girl, I hoped she knew that.

"Anytime." I leaned down to kiss her goodnight. "Goodnight, my Violet."

"Goodnight, Tate." She kissed me one more time before going inside. My heart raced in my chest. I walked back next door and went upstairs. I didn't care about the dishes in the sink. I was too tired and too overwhelmed about tonight. I had a good night with my girlfriend, dealt with Westfield's biggest douche bag, and now, I wanted to sleep and dream about her. I grabbed the pillow that her scent clung to and held it against myself. Smelling her shampoo in the fabric made it easier to think about her, not that it was hard, but I dreamed about her all night.


	9. Surprise

_**Violet's POV**_

**One Month Later…**

I walked down the hallway alone, holding myself as I did. I hadn't spoken to Tate in over a week since I found out that he had confronted Cooper about not leaving me alone. Tate had tried calling me, texting me, stopping by my house, but I just couldn't see him. I really wanted to, aside from the bullshit with Cooper. And because there was something I had to mentally prepare myself to tell him.

**Flashback, Two Weeks Ago…**

I woke up this morning with an ill stomach. It could be food poisoning since we had leftovers last night for dinner. I rolled over onto my back and the aching subsided for about a minute before it came back full force and I ran to the bathroom and threw my guts up. I did this for a few minutes before my mom came in worried. "Violet, are you alright?" She kneeled down next to me and rubbed my back. I couldn't speak because my whole body was shaking from getting sick, so I just shook my head. When I stopped throwing up, I sat back against the wall beside the toilet and fought to control my breathing.

"I…" I tried to get some words out. "I think it might be food poisoning…from last night." My mom nodded. She looked around the bathroom for a moment before she took my arm and helped me up. She touched her hand to my forehead.

"Well you don't have a fever, so we can rule out a cold or the flu." My body was still shaking and suddenly I was hungry. I went downstairs and looked for something to eat. I opened the fridge. I looked around and thought about eggs, but suddenly wasn't in the mood. I looked everywhere for something to eat, but nothing looked good enough to satisfy my hunger. Then I suddenly felt faint and sat down on the kitchen floor. My mom walked in and took one look at me. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed a number. "Ben?" Great. "I need you to drive Violet and I to the doctor." A pause. "Yeah, she can't even stand up." Another pause as she nodded her head. "Okay." And she hung up the phone. "Violet, go get dressed, your father is taking us to see a doctor." She helped me up to my room where I got ready. I just threw on whatever I found.

* * *

The doctor took a blood and urine test from me. I've been sitting in his office for over twenty minutes when he finally came back in. He sat down as he was looking at my file. He cleared his throat and set the papers down. "Well the good news is that you don't have food poisoning, and you don't have the flu." He said. I let out a sigh of relief.

"Great, so what's causing me to get sick?" I asked him. He looked from me to my mom and then back to my results.

"Now don't be alarmed, Violet," he said. Then a smile appeared on his face. "Congratulations, you're pregnant." My heart stopped and I couldn't think of anything to say after that.

"Pregnant," my mom repeated in shock and then looked at me. "Violet, have we not taught you the proper forms of birth control." My doctor held up his hand to relax my mom.

"Now Mrs. Harmon, birth control is a mere factor to decrease the chances of pregnancy. However, it doesn't completely prevent it." My mom sighed and leaned her head back against the wall.

**End of Flashback…**

I'm pregnant, with Tate's baby. How the hell was I going to tell him? My dad wasn't exactly speaking to me, and my mom was still disappointed, but she helped me as much as she could.

I continued to walk down the hall to my locker with my arms tightly wrapped around me. When I got there, I opened my locker and began exchanging books when I heard a familiar voice. "Violet." I turned around to see Tate standing behind me, looking sad. Seeing that look of sadness on his face made my heart sink.

"Hi, Tate." I said in a low voice.

He looked down to his shoes. "Why have you been avoiding me?" He asked in a sad tone. I shut my locker and turned back to face him. I kept my arms around me and shrugged my shoulders.

"It's a long story." I mumbled. He took a step closer to me.

"So long you couldn't text me and let me know you weren't coming to school for a week?" He was referring to last week when I stayed home because of violent morning sickness.

"Tate, I can explain." I said and looked down. I should have said something to him, but I was still a little upset about his shit with Cooper. I looked around when the bell rang. "Not here." I said, grabbing his hand and leading him to the football stands out back.

* * *

Tate ran his hands through his hair as he paced back and forth along the stands. "Y-You're pregnant, and you couldn't tell me?" He asked me. He wasn't mad, but a little down because I kept this from him for weeks. It was his baby and I should have said something. "Is it mine?" He asked in concern. I looked up to meet his gaze in shock.

"Of course it's yours," I snapped. "Sorry." He nodded. "Yes, it's yours. I have only ever been with you, Tate." He sat down next to me and took both my hands in his. I sat there and let tears escape my eyes. I didn't know what to do. First, Tate gets kicked off the track team to be with me, and then he knocks up his girlfriend. All of these bad things were happening because of me. I jumped to my feet and began pacing. "This is all my fault." I mumbled under my breath. He stood up.

"What did you say?' His tone was serious. I turned to face him.

"I said this is all my fault!" I didn't mean to yell at him, but I was so angry at myself for allowing this to happen. He walked towards me until he was inches from my face.

"Violet, this was not your fault. I wasn't careful when we were together all those times. And if it makes you feel better, I'm happy you're pregnant." My eyes widened in shock. You never hear that come from a teenage boy about to be a father. I shook my head and sat back down. He followed me down to sit.

"No, no you're not, Tate." I said through more tears. He wiped them away with his sleeve. "It was both of our faults. And I don't want to burden you with this…thing." He chuckled.

"Honey, it's not a burden. It's our baby, I mean…if you want it to be." More tears escaped my eyes as I considered what he was saying. I wasn't sure I was ready to take on this kind of responsibility, or bring our baby into a world where neither of its parents got along with theirs. He rubbed my back and pulled me into his arms. "I love you, Violet. And if this baby is going to be something good for us, we'll keep it. We'll look after it." I was still processing all of this, and he was more than happy to accept his faults and actions. Wow. He just gave me a whole other reason to love him. I smiled and nodded my head. For the first time since we've been together, he smiled from ear to ear, showing off his perfect teeth.

"O-Okay, I think we can do it." I said and he held me tighter. "But just make me a promise." He leaned down and kissed me lightly.

"Anything." I half smiled.

"Promise me you won't ever leave me." He held me even closer to him and laid his head down on top of mine.

"I won't ever leave you, Violet. It's you and me, together forever." Those words made me smile. He kissed the top of my head. "Now can you make _me _a promise?" He asked without moving. I nodded. "Promise me you'll stay with me. No matter what happens, we'll get through it." I looked up to meet his eyes. I pressed my hand to his cheek and rubbed it with the back of my hand.

"I'm not going anywhere." And he kissed me. I kissed him back, and in that moment, I knew everything was going to be okay. I then pulled away and smiled up at him. "I think it's a boy." He laughed.

"Oh, you think so?" I nodded. "Nah, it's going to be a girl. A beautiful girl like her mom." I blushed and wrapped my arms around him tightly.


	10. Time

_**Tate's POV**_

**4 Months Later…**

It's been four months since Violet told me the news that we were going to be parents. If I had to be honest, I was terrified, and nothing scares me. Well, except the idea of losing Violet and now my baby. I spent over a month looking for a job to help support our family, but it wasn't easy. Then one day I found a 'Help Wanted' sign on a post outside a huge gas station a few blocks from my house. I went in and gave the manager my resume, which was pretty sloppy, but he gave me the job. I dropped out of school, and now I help clean people's windshields for fifteen bucks an hour. And some days I just want to punch some of the drivers because everything needs to look perfect. People are such pricks.

Violet was finally over the morning sickness. She followed me when I dropped out of Westfield. She didn't want to deal with the shit that came with teen pregnancy and I encouraged her to do what was best for her. Her parents weren't too happy, but as long as we knew the consequences, they let it go. She was almost five months pregnant, and she started showing a belly that looked like she was almost seven. I guess having a tiny frame like hers would do that to you.

You can only imagine how Constance reacted to the news. She wasn't a huge fan of Violet's because of how much our personalities resembled each other.

**Flashback; Two Months Ago…**

Violet and I sat hand-in-hand for ten minutes on the couch across from Constance. Ben and Vivien were there too, just standing there in silence. Violet just looked at the floor, looking like she was going to cry a little. I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and held her close.

"So what is this about?" Constance asked with impatience.

"Give her a second." I snapped and she snorted a smirk at me. I always knew Constance was pathetic. And she knew to watch her limits when it came to Violet.

"Um," Violet hesitated. "Well…I'm…I'm pregnant." I sighed in relief when she managed to get the words out. Constance just sat there and stared between the two of us. She leaned her head over her knees and folded her hands over her face.

"Jesus H. Christ," she whispered. "You two are too young to be having a baby." I knew Violet and I were too young to be having a baby, but we both agreed to try and make it work. And Constance's reaction would not change my mind. "You are too young to be having a baby!" She snapped, getting to her feet and started pacing the room.

"Constance, believe me, we were just as surprised as you are. We-" Constance stopped her and then pointed at me.

"My boy has always been careful with himself. Now all of a sudden that changes when he meets your…harlot of a daughter." The look on Ben's face changed so fast. I'm sure mine did too. She crossed the line and I was about to let her know it.

I got to my feet so fast, she flinched in place. "Don't you dare talk about Violet like that!" I yelled. I could feel Violet's hand squeezing mine; that was the only thing keeping me from going at that bitch. She folded her hands over her heart in surprise.

"Tate," she said. "Do you not see what this girl has done to you? She has taken everything from you." I was fighting so hard against the urge to make her regret the accusations she made about my baby's mother.

"She has taken nothing from me!" I continued to yell. "I had nothing before I met her! She's giving me something that makes me happy besides herself!" She shook her head as she sat back down, all hints of shock, gone. But I kept going. "I got my first job, I'm making money! If anything, this happened to help me make something good of myself for once!" I sat back down because I was beginning to feel lightheaded from all the yelling. Violet gently rubbed my shoulder to help me calm down. Constance shook her head.

"Well," she said. "All I've got left to say is that I don't care who's at fault here, but I don't want that thing in _my_ house." And she walked away to the kitchen. Vivien and Ben sat down on the vacated couch and stared at Violet and I. They sat in silence, then looked at each other and then back to us.

"We figured something like this was going to happen," Vivien said in disappointment.

"I'm sorry, mom." Violet let a few tears fall down her face. I sat up and wiped them away with my sleeve. She looked at me. "I'm sorry, Tate."

"Vi, you didn't do anything wrong. I told you, we're both equally at fault. You're the first person who's walked into my life and made a better person out of me." She smiled through her tears. I put my arm back around her and held her close.

"Tate," Ben said. "Vivien and I predicted the outcome of telling your mother the news," he took a deep breath. "And we've decided that you can come and live with us." Everything in me just stopped. Was my girlfriend's father really offering me to stay with her, in _their_ house? Holy shit. Violet just sat there, wide eyes.

"Coach Harmon-I mean, Mr. Harmon-" he held up a hand to stop me.

"You have proven to be a good guy for my daughter, and you've been looking after her since this all began." I smirked.

"That's all I've wanted to do since I first met her." Ben nodded. He reached over across the coffee table and I did the same, shaking his hand. I caught Vivien smiling. But I've seen this kind of shit on TV: I'm allowed to stay with them, but Violet and I can't share a room.

"As for where you'll be sleeping-" Vivien cleared her throat to stop him. She looked between Violet and I. Violet stiffened under my arm, and I held her closer to me.

"In my opinion as a mother, I think these two should stay together." My eyes widened and Vivien held up her hand. "But, _no _sex." I suddenly found myself shaking my head. It was a little late for that. Violet was still stiff under my arm.

"Really?" Was all she said. Ben took Vivien's hand and she didn't hesitate like she normally did. Both of Violet's parents stood and looked down at us with a bit of disappointment, but more happiness.

"Thank you." I said as I stood up with them. Vivien walked over and hugged me, while Ben took a few steps to me and rested a hand on my shoulder. We made eye contact.

"Take care of my little girl." He said and I nodded. "And please, call me Ben." I must have looked confused because I found him smirking at me. "You've earned the privilege to call us by our names, Tate." Violet stood up beside me and Ben looked down at her. "You're stronger than you look." He whispered to her. And with that, she walked over and wrapped her arms around her dad. He held her close to him looking like he never wanted to let go. I understood, he didn't want to let his child grow up. I wish he was my father some days, but at this point, I was happy for the first time.

When Ben pulled away, he looked at his daughter and smiled. She returned it to him. "We'll see you at home?" Ben smiled and nodded. Vivien hugged Violet tightly before she waved to us and left.

**End of Flashback…**

And since then, I've been living with the Harmon's. Sharing a room with the most beautiful girl in the world. And soon with our baby. It all felt so surreal because I never thought of having kids with anyone. I always believed that I was going to go through life on my own, but then I met Violet. She changed my life and I wouldn't trade that for anything.

**4 Months Later…**

Violet was almost nine months pregnant, and despite her big belly, she still looked amazing. Even under all the layers she carried over her petite frame. I got out of the shower and came back into our bedroom and found her sitting up on the bed, looking down at her phone. I walked in when I finished running the towel over my wet hair to rid it of the excess water I threw the towel over the foot frame of the queen-sized bed and climbed onto the mattress in front of her. "What's wrong?" I asked her. She looked up and handed me her phone. I looked at it, and there was a message from…_him_. Did I not make it clear to him when I confronted him all those months ago?

**Flashback…**

I found Cooper in the parking lot the following morning. I guess he heard me coming because he turned around with a smile on his face, until he saw it was me. I approached him by his truck. He leaned against it and folded his arms across his chest. "Did I not tell you to leave Violet alone?" I growled. I wasn't hiding my anger. He smirked.

"Someone's a little jealous," he mocked me.

"Stay away from her. I mean it."

"Or what?" He asked, standing up straight to meet my eyes. He was challenging me.

"You hurt her. I should make you feel what she did, but I'm sparing you for her." He sighed.

"Look dude, I actually care about Violet, more than I've ever cared to admit considering all the shit I've done in the past." I smirked and shook my head. He looked at me with confusion.

"Well get over your feelings for her because she doesn't want you." His eyebrows pulled together and he continued to glare at me.

"I can't. These feelings just don't go away." I continued to smirk. I knew how hard he was trying to make himself look like a decent person. "There's something about that girl that makes me want to care."

"Well you should have thought about that before you tried to rape her." He raised his eyebrows and shook his head. I wasn't letting him deny it again. "I wanted her to be happy, it doesn't matter who it was with, even though I wanted it to be me. But, clearly she's found that happiness with me." His face dropped. The act was well performed, I'm not going to lie.

"And what have you given her that I can't?" He asked.

"Love." He chuckled. "Funny? It's unfortunate for you because you only fake your feelings into a girl's life to have a little fun and then screw off." I got in his face. "Stay away from Violet." I growled one more time and headed into the school.

**End of Flashback…**

I continued to stare down at the message.

**_"I'm in the driveway. Come talk?"_**

I looked up at Violet, who was fiddling with a loose thread in the blanket. She sighed and seemed to be in deep thought. I rested a hand on her knee. "What are you going to do?" She shrugged her shoulders.

"I'm going to go out and talk to him." That made me mad, but despite the current situation, I wasn't willing to make this harder for her, so I nodded my head. She half smiled, gently kissed me, and walked downstairs. She knew I'd be watching, but she never warned me against it.


	11. Forgiveness & Disappointment: End

_**Violet's POV**_

I walked down the stairs, carefully taking my time. I haven't seen Cooper in months. As I was about to open the front door, I began to look back on the days leading up to the party. Cooper was a good guy up until then. But after what he did, I don't think I could ever forgive him. I opened the front door, closed it behind me and headed to the driveway. I saw Cooper leaning up against his truck and took a deep breath as I got closer. The whole time it took me to get from the house to his truck; I could feel Tate watching me.

When I was about a foot away from the truck, I noticed Cooper looking down at my belly with wide eyes. He gulped and seemed to be at a loss for words. "Wow. A lot can happen in a few months." He said. I folded my arms across my chest and rolled my eyes.

"What do you want, Cooper?" I asked him, anxious to end this whole thing. In all honesty, I was hoping that he would see my stomach, hop in his truck and drive off, never to return. He finally took his eyes off my baby bump and looked up at me. He took a deep breath.

"I wanted to apologize." I did not expect that. "I asked some of the others about the party and they all told me that I had tried, you know, to force you into stuff." I nodded my head in strict confirmation. "I've done a lot of bad things in the past to hurt people, Violet. But ever since I met you, I've wanted to do nothing but change that."

"You were a nice guy at first, Cooper," I said as I took one step closer. "But after what you did that night, I'm not sure I can forgive you." He frowned and looked down.

"I know what I did was wrong, Violet, but I'm so used to girls just saying yes all the time; I guess it surprised me when you pushed me away. I just wanted to be with you so badly." I saw a tear drop down his cheek. I was beginning to feel bad for him. I was hoping that this whole apology thing wasn't an act, because I was beginning to gain some sort of feeling of forgiveness towards him. "Please, Violet. All I'm asking for is a chance." Now he was being ridiculous. I'm nearly nine months pregnant, and with my current boyfriend's baby. I was happy where I was and who I was with.

"Cooper, I'm about to have a baby, and with Tate. You can't just expect me to drop everything right here and now and jump into your arms." He looked like my words had cut him deep, but it was true. I was having a baby, with a guy I was madly in love with and I wasn't going to let anyone or anything change my mind. No matter how bad I felt for the guy in front of me, my life was with Tate and the life growing inside me.

"Why not?" He asked. I sighed and shook my head as I dropped my face into my hands. I looked up to see more tears coming down.

"Your actions at the party helped me realize that the one person I was truly falling for is the one who's up in my room right now." He looked up to see Tate standing in the window of my room, just staring. I didn't need to turn around because I knew he'd be watching. Cooper looked back at me and took both my hands in his. I tensed.

"Fine, but just know that no matter how long it takes, I'll wait for you. And when things don't work out, you know where to find me." I could suddenly feel anger well up in me. Was he serious? I ripped my hands from his and stepped back. He shot me a look of confusion.

"What do you mean, _when _things don't work out?" I snapped. He just stood there and stared at me. I was beginning to feel uneasy.

"Violet, that guy can't give you what I can. He can't make you happy like I could."

"Which explains why he's working his ass off every day to help support our family and why I'm still happy with him?" He fell silent. I guess he didn't figure that part out. All he could do was throw jealous accusations in my face about Tate and make promises Tate was more capable of keeping than him. "Go home, Cooper." He looked at me like he didn't hear me right.

"What?"

"I said, go home." I snapped again, but tried to sound calm. He took a step towards me and I took one back.

"Violet, please…" I shook my head.

"I don't want anything to do with you. All you've tried to do is wreck my relationship with Tate and make something better for yourself. And that's supposed to make me happy?" He looked down. "Just please leave; I don't need to deal with this." He glared at me and whipped his truck door open. He climbed into his truck and slammed the door. When he started it up, he leaned out the window.

"I'm not giving up." He sneered. "You will be mine one day, Violet Harmon." And with that he sped out of the driveway and took off down the street. I stood there and sighed. I turned to go back inside but suddenly I began to feel sharp pains in my stomach. The feeling came so fast and painful, I couldn't walk. I immediately fell to my knees and wrapped my arms around myself. I stayed that way for a bit until it went away for a few seconds. When it came back, it came back full force and I began to scream in major pain. "Tate!" I yelled from the driveway, unable to make it to the house. "Tate!" I yelled again. This time, I heard the front door swing open and saw Tate sprinting across the yard.

"Violet!" He screamed and was at my side in seconds. "Violet, honey, what's wrong?" I shook my head as the pain kept me from talking. I gave it a minute before I said anything.

"The baby-The baby isn't due for another few weeks." I whimpered. "G-Get my mom!" I whimpered again. Tate was hesitant about leaving me at first, but knew that my mom would know what to do, so he ran back inside and got her. She came out running behind Tate and knelt down beside me.

"Violet, are you okay?" She asked in a bit of panic.

"I don't know. I just suddenly got these…pains and it-it hurts!" I began to cry. My mom pulled out her cell phone and dialed a number.

"Ben? Ben, listen to me!" She yelled into the phone. "I think Violet's in labor; you need to get home, now!" There was a pause and she hung up.

A few minutes later, my dad's car came speeding down the street and stopped by the curb of the sidewalk. He came running out and sprinting toward me. "You better be in labor Violet. I just broke a dozen road laws to get here." I chuckled a bit in pain at the thought of my dad panicking down the street to get his pregnant teenager daughter to a hospital. Tate and my dad took their time putting me into the front seat of the car. My dad jumped into the driver's seat. Tate and my mom jumped in the back. My dad took off down the road.

We got to the hospital, and thank God it wasn't too busy. They examined me and admitted me right away. I was only in labor for a couple of hours before the doctor came in and told me it was time to push.

* * *

Lilliana Langdon was born two and a half hours later. When they handed the baby to me, I couldn't get over how beautiful she was. I held her close to me and began to cry as I stared at her. I looked up at Tate who looked down at me with tears in his eyes and the biggest smile I'd ever seen. He walked over and gently leaned over me and Lilliana and kissed me. He held his hands out and I slowly passed her to him. It was the cutest sight I had ever seen. Tate looked so happy; it made me smile like an idiot.

**Three Years Later…**

Tate and I decided to take Lilliana to the beach for the day. She loved it so much. I remember the first time I came here with him, we sat beside a fire he put together, cuddled and listened to the waves crash against the shore for hours. I watched as Tate was running up towards me with our daughter. Our daughter; it sounded so strange, but in a good way. Every time I looked at Lilliana and saw no one but Tate in her. She had his blonde curly hair, his big smile, his pale skin, and maybe my big brown eyes.

When she got closer to me, she jumped into my lap. "Mommy!" She yelled. I laughed and watched Tate get closer to us, wearing only his swim trunks. God, I could never get over how good his body looked: chiseled arms, abs, and so on. I looked up to meet his eyes and all I saw was happiness. He must have seen the same thing in mine, because the smile never faded. He sat down with me as Lilliana went to go and play in the sand a few feet away. He sat down behind me, one leg on either side, and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me back against him.

"I love you." He whispered in my ear. I blushed. I laid my head back against his shoulder and turned my face to look into his.

"I love you too." He leaned in and kissed me. The passion, like always, was still there. Nothing in the world was going to take this life away from me. I deepened the kiss a little bit. He suddenly pulled away, smirking. "What?"

"Not in front of Lilliana." He whispered. I frowned to make him feel bad, but it only made him smile.

"Fine," I said as his hold on me got tighter. "But you owe me. Tonight. After she goes to bed." I felt his chest vibrate as he laughed.

"Deal." And he kissed the back of my head. For the rest of the day, we watched our baby play on the beach. Tate had so much fun playing in the water with her and occasionally tried to get me in, but I was too busy enjoying the view of watching him enjoy the life he helped bring into the world. His happiness meant so much to me; I couldn't bear the thought of him being anything but. Three years and neither of us had a single regret.


End file.
